Apple and Cranberry Hand Pie Recipe

In Life:

We’re finally hitting the real countdown until Thanksgiving. Just over one week left for last minute recipe collection and idea inspirations. You can sense the excitement and feel the energy in the air as everyone gears up for the kick off to the holiday season. I love when the weather gets cooler and the morning sun comes up early. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, indeed. Late fall is my absolute favorite time of year. And like many other folks, I like to reflect back on my life and see what I have to be thankful for this year.

While it’s all generally a lot of food, shopping and merriment this Thanksgiving season, let’s remember to give thanks to those who allowed us to be here in the first place. I want to first remember those who have given their time and even their lives over the last 200+ years fighting for and preserving our freedoms as Americans. So many people have scarified so much for us to have the country we have today. I keep that fact in my heart and mind daily. Freedom isn’t free, and a whole truckload of gratitude should be paid to those people every day.

Another thing I am really thankful for is just having a happy and healthy life. I am also grateful for my fantastic husband, and the good life we’ve been able to build together. I am thankful that I have a grocery store right next to my house. I am thankful that Jeremy and I can make do with one car. I am thankful for my family and friends and all the love and support they provide. I am thankful that I am here writing this blog post right now. I could still be miserable working in an office. But I am here at my kitchen table writing this blog post, preparing to share a great holiday recipe with you. When I look at it, life is good, and I am so grateful for all the things I’ve worked so hard for. And these little words of thanks just really begin to illustrate the depth of my gratitude.

What about you? What are you especially grateful for this time of year? Something interesting or just for the basic good fabric of your life?Let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for interesting perspectives on gratitude, and looking for ways to celebrate people’s good fortunes with them.

In Cooking:

So today I’ve got something we can surely all be grateful for – pie! And not just any pie, this is a yummy apple and cranberry hand pie recipe. Hand pies are some of my favorite pies. They’re these adorable self-contained pies that don’t require a fork or plate. They’re made to just be eaten like a pastry, hence the name hand pie. I’ve been wanting to make an apple cranberry pie since last year so this year I got my planning done early and actually was able to publish this before Thanksgiving this year. Yay for on the ball!

Overall this pie is pretty simple. Yes, it requires you to make your own pie crust, but fear not! I’ve developed a good pie crust recipe for you. One that you don’t need to be scared of. Pie crust isn’t even close to one of the scariest things in baking. Seriously, when you look at it, there are much more scary things like soufflés, meringues, French macaroons, angel food cake – I really could just go on and on. So don’t fear pie crust. It is your friend and just needs to be handled delicately. Such is the case with many delicious things.

So let’s back up just a little and talk about the basis for this pie – Granny Smith apples. Granny Smith apples are great for making pies because they’ve got a good, crisp texture that doesn’t turn to mush when baking. Also, I like that they’re tart. That matches well with the cranberries I’ve added in. I really like the tartness of a Granny Smith apple and find that when sugar’s added, the tartness is definitely at a manageable level for me. Also, I’ve cut the apple in this recipe into small cubes so they’d be closer to the size of the dried cranberries and also so they’d be easier to deal with in assembling the hand pies.

Below is a mixture of what the filling looks like right before it goes into the pie crusts. All the filling ingredients are mixed together so that they can be evenly dispersed into the the little pie crust rectangles. Combining the ingredients like this makes filling the pies very easy. It’s just everything combined in a bowl, mixed and scooped into the pie crusts.

So the main difference between hand pies and regular pies is that you roll the pie crust into a square or rectangle. Really, it’s however you can best roll the dough out to get the end result. As long as you get it about 12”x12” or 9”x13″ you can get the six hand pies you need. And these don’t have to be perfectly shaped either. You can see mine below are actually different shapes and sizes. The first time I tested this, I made the dough into a rectangle. The second time I rolled it into a square. I just go with how the dough wants to shape itself. I also used a lot of flour and rolled the dough out on parchment the second time. That really helped with the sticking.

The second batch I made came out much prettier overall. As you see below most of the hand pies were the same shape and size. I just had one that was a bit more square than rectangle. But I just went with it. These are handmade and each one should be special and a little different from the others. Sure, if you’re into everything being uniform and perfect, you can work at it. But I just want you to know it’s not necessary. The pies will be delicious even if they’re imperfect.

Oh and finally, something I used here more for show than anything else is the sparkling sugar. These are the big fat crystals you see below. My friend Jen picked this up for me at TJ Maxx of all places. You can also get sparkling sugar at cake supply stores and maybe even party stores. And a little goes a long way, too. I’m going to have that container of sparkling sugar for years. But that’s cool.

So there you have it, a tasty, compact and self-contained Thanksgiving dessert that’s sure to please any crowd. I have it on good authority that these hand pies also make a delicious breakfast (Jeremy just LOVES to bring them to work). This leads me to believe that pie is the perfect food. Anything that’s a great dessert AND breakfast clearly should be included in the perfect food category. Okay, I’ll admit I have weird standards. But I also have pie so I win. 🙂

Brush edges of the dough rectangles with water then mound some of the apple/cranberry mixture into each. Fold the dough over, and press edges to seal. Use the tines of a fork for the edge effect shown in the pictures.

Place each pie on a Sipat or parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar. Finally, cut 2-3 slits in each pie.

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First of all, I love your website and all your recipes, I think you have a future in this 🙂 This very morning at work (yes I still get to work at 1 am, baking is done so much better in the dark) I was told the restaurant wanted apple cranberry pies for the Thanksgiving day buffet. You’ll never guess where I’m getting that recipe. I wanted to also tell you that the Frangelico brownies were such a hit they’ll be on the buffet too! Thanks for all you do on this website, its my favorite food website.

Hey James, I’m so glad you like my recipes. 🙂 High compliments from such an accomplished pastry chef as yourself. The only warning I will give about turning these into a full-sized pie is that the filling is a little dry since they’re hand pies. I am sure you know how to correct for that but wanted to give a heads up.

Also, I am glad you liked the Frangelico brownies. those are among my favorite brownies ever. 😉

I am thankful for so many of the very things you are thankful for, Addie. I’m doing what I love, I have a fabulous husband, a great business (that thankfully only he works in now), terrific family and friends.

I’m so happy we met!

I just love the idea of hand pies for Thanksgiving! Who wants to wash dessert plates and forks after doing feast dishes? Not me! Those look just amazing! P~

I’ve been waiting for this recipe! Your pictures had my mouth watering! I love this time of year, because people really take time to notice the blessings in their life and you’re definitely a blessing in mine! Every time you leave a comment on my blog, my heart soars and I just appreciate you so very much.

Happy early Thanksgiving, Becky! 🙂 You’re so sweet. I love your blog and your style. I always look forward to your new posts. Your food looks so tasty and your pups are just about as precious as they come!! 😉 I really appreciate your kinds words. So glad we’re friends!

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